The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-04-02
THE ssTRUE INWARDNESS'' OF THE
KING.BOA1NER CONTEST.

give the "true inwardness'' of the
King Boatner contest. The letter
was reproduced in the Shreveport:
Times OF the Goth ult., with ''ghoulish
see," if we may be allowed 10 use
coinage of His Mugwumpiness, Mr..
Cleveland.
Mr.. Castleman's letter bristles with
inaccuracies and Misrepresentation
and wo will undertake the not very
hard task of refuting them.
Mr.. Castleman says that on "the eve
uing before the convention was to as.
semble caucus Of King delegates was
held, at which it was ascertained 12l
uncontested delegates were present,
accredited to and instructed to vote for
Gen. King there were twenty-five
contested delegates which he was en-
titled to, making 143; the greatest
number of uncontested delegates that
could be mustered by Boatner and his
friends was ffty-five." Among the 121
delegates instructed to vote for Gen.
King was the Tensas delegation. De-
Quoting these, against whose participa-
ton In the convention a protest was TO
be filed by Morehouse parish, ne
would still have, according to Mr..
Castleman's computation, SO votes,
while Judge Gunby and Col. Boatner
could muster only &C votes.
Mr.. Castleman further states that
"When the parish of Tensas wis cali
led, the delegation from the parish Of
Morehouse filed document protesting
against Tensas with its thirty eight
votes, participating in the proceedings,
thereby giving the Boatner wing the
control OF the convention, which meant
the defeat of King and Il large majority
in the district. AT this point, great
confusion existed during which a mo-
ton was made and carried, to adjourn
until O'Clock p. ID. During the res
cess the King delegates held caucus
and drew up resolutions by which the
convention was to be reorganized, and
which were not to have been intro
duced until after Mr.. Kennedy had
called the convention to order and
made ruling. At o'clock promptly
the courthouse was full of both King
aud Boatner delegates, all the watches
present recorded the hour, the town
clock had struck 5 minutes after
o'clock. Mr.. Kennedy being absent,
u motion was made and carried, that
DR.. Brumby take the chair. A com.
miitee was appointed to conduct him
to it, which was done amidst great
confusion, caused by the Boatner
delegates"
Now for inaccuracies. 1t might have
been the intention OF Gen. Kings
managers not to have put the resolu-
tons referred to s.un,il after Mr.. Ken.
nedy had called the convention to
order and made ruling" but Mr..
CastIemau is unfortunate in having
made the statement. 1t is a notorious
fact that the programme which had
been agreed upon during the recess by
the King caucus was rushed through
during the absence OF the temporary
chairman and that Gen. King was
present and urged the consummation
of the proceeding in the face Of protests
from one his warmest supporters, Mar.
shall Gibson II is also a notorious fact
that not more than a dozen of Col.
Boatner's friends were present. Neither
is it fact that all tho watches present
recorded the houI-5 o'clock. Mr.. Ken
nedy took the chair, according to his
watch, at 5 O'Clock, and that was some
time after the proceedings Of the King
faction had been begun. 1t is not a
fact either "that the town clock had
struck 5 minutes after O'clock" for
the very best reason that there was
not then nor is there now in Monroe a
town clock.
The resolutions which purport to
have been put by Mr.. Castleman in
the absence Of the temporary chairman
and while no one was occupying the
chair, were declared to have been car
ried by him, though Judge Il. A, GAR
reelt, disinterested spectator, CATER
wards an ardent supporter of Gen.
king,) declared in his report of the
proceedings published in the Monroe